Glass

I have always been interested in technology. Seeing the barriers that are brought down by various technological advancements is outstanding and remarkable. Technology has changed so many aspects of our live and society that it is hard to absorb at times. Although not all of these changes can be seen as good, as some believe that the reliance on technology is overwhelming.
We were asked to transform our blog to the topic of our storify article. I did my storify article on the new google glass project by the google company. It has been all over the technological world as of late and has even tapped into other worlds such as the fashion world, where we got to see models walking the runway sport the new google glass face wear. The blog is meant to cover all the new and relevant news that relates to google glass.

The Road Ahead

Courtesy of : http://startuporbust.com/2007/10/redesign/

We are now at the end of this course and we have been asked to produce our last blog entry relating to new media literacy. Through out the course we have consumed various readings that critically analyzed various topics as they related to new media. We engaged in such readings like that of the California Ideology concept that argued the origins of technological convergence. We then took our attention to readings on social media and various aspects of social media, most notably privacy in the social media world. We then tackled ubiquitous communication and devices, where we critically reflected upon the capabilities of the devices we carry in our pockets. We were then fascinated by the Vimeo productions by Kirby Ferguson, who opened our eyes to Hollywood and the Recording industries capability to remix. Then we were tasked with giving our opinion on our pirating ways, and the ethics behind such action. The last readings we indulge in are on the unification of the producer and consumer. 

The guiding question of this weeks module ask if we feel inclined to become a produsers after the various tools we have used in the course. To reflect on these various tools that we have used in the course, first of we have twitter. I can say that twitter has thus far been an enjoyable tool. In module 7, we were given the opportunity to critically reflect on Twitter. Overall I enjoy the capabilities that Twitter provides over other social media applications. The Wiki editing was a task that I think helped us to see the holes in the Wiki collaborative system. Video editing in popcorn maker was a tedious assignment the application seemed to be very limiting, that is without considering the limits of my creativity at the time. The audio podcast was an interesting task; it showed me just how important it is for users of an audio podcasting tool to annunciate properly. The more obvious use of blogs in the course was a very simple way to communicate our thoughts to one another. Last but definitely not least was the Storify application, by far my favorite tool we engaged with. I especially enjoyed the way all the various media came together in the Storify article.

Just for the sake of a formal response to the question brought up initially. No I do not feel anymore inclined than I did before enrolling in this course to become a produser (other than the occasional contribution to the twitter verse, or an occasional sharing on google plus). The article from this week’s module by Lunenfeld, P. (2007) brings about some interesting points about the issue of producers and costumers coming together as one. He instead talks about downloading, pulling in data and uploading, transferring data. He makes a bold statement that makes one stop and think when he writes, " Understanding and consuming culture requires great skills – ask anyone who has taught a child to read – but failing to move beyond downloading is to strip oneself of a defining constituent of humanity".  As someone that just recently proclaimed that I do not necessarily feel inclined to become a produser this makes me ponder whether if there is an ounce of truth in that. I wouldn't go as far as proclaiming a lack of an individual’s contribution to culture a failure to humanity, but I do not fail to see the long term effect of a larger populations lack of contribution.

As I read the Rheingold, H. (2010) article, I am forced to reflect on my original response to the guiding question brought up about if I feel inclined to become a producer. Rheingold brings up a scenario that didn't come to mind as I dove into my direct response to the question earlier. In his article he discusses five social media literacies, one of those literacies was that of collaboration. He brings up the scenario of national disaster and the response of the victims and non-victims through the use of social media. He talks about the use of blogs, wiki's, and craigslist to aid in locating separated family members. I believe that in a situation where simply contributing to a task like that, which could benefit the bigger community would in fact incline me to become a "producer". 

Lunenfeld, P. (2007). History as Remix: How the Computer Became a Culture Machine. Rue Descartes no. 55: Philosophies entoilées. Online [PDF]

Rheingold, H. (2010). Attention, and Other 21st-Century Social Media Literacies. EDUCAUSE Review. 45:5. pp. 14-24

Activists and Journalists

I'd first like to reflect upon my use of the Storify, the web based application my course required me to use for an assignment. I was quite impressed with the simplicity of the software allowing the less computer savvy individuals to find Storiify easy to use and navigate; A key hurdle for web developers of today. My Storify article was called my google glass exploration. The glass project by google has been gaining more media coverage lately and my interest in it continued to grow, so it was only fair that I chose to "explore" it. There seemed to be news about google glass popping up daily, from Sergey Brin's wife testing the device on a TMZ reporter, to articles about google glass in the workplace. Storify made it possible for me to bring all the updates about google glass together in one place almost instantaneously. These updates include tweets, Facebook posts, youtube video, hyperlinks, images, and audio sound clips; all the components of citizen journalism in one place.

 It is safe to say that Storify gives individuals like me the opportunity to participate in citizen journalism. Almost instantaneously I was able to comment on any news about google glass, although it was more of second hand reporting if anything. Although If I did happen to be the first or one of the first to hear about any google glass related news, social media applications such as Storify would makes it possible for me to report it to an audience (depending on how many people I have following me). Now even before reading the Hermida (2012) article, I recognize the problem with this sort of power (as I like to see it). Hermida talks about the opportunity that twitter affords to eyewitnesses of breaking news, mentioning "tweets by eyewitnesses help fill the new vacuum that often occurs after breaking news". The article then goes on to talk about the problem with this affordance being the process of verification. Journalism, a profession that is based on verification of information, has to compete with social media, which in no shape or form needs to be verified. It is for that reason l think it is a good reason that major news networks have their own twitter accounts that provide a brief summary of breaking news. I strongly agree with the news vacuum filler, because there are times during breaking news when news outlets shy away from giving details about what is going on. I also understand that speculation can be very dangerous in our world.

 The article by Bruns and Highfield (2012) gives us an example of how social media gives individuals opportunities to be social activists. The article talks about the protest against the WTO in Seattle, where the website indymedia.org was used as a clearing house for protestors. In anticipation that mainstream media coverage would paint them as anarchists and hooligans, protestors took to the website to share first person reports, photographs, sound recordings and video footage. This serves as a great example of the opportunities that social media gives the general public. The Jenkins ad Thorburn (2003) article also gives a great example of the opportunities social media provides for social activism. Jesse Ventura a former wrestler won the election for governor of Minnesota. His website created a community for his supporters to follow his campaign and communicate with one another.

 Both the above-mentioned articles show us how members/citizens have used social media as a tool to inspire change. It is difficult to say that these new opportunities have encouraged me to participate in citizen journalism/ or social activism. The very few times that I use social media to express myself are usually through second hand updates. I see something somewhere else that sparks my interests and I decide to share it with who ever cares to view. I cannot remember any time that I have used social media as a tool to inspire some sort of change. If I was to do so I can imagine how difficult it can be if you do not have a large audience, because the most popular social media applications restrict our reach to our followers/friends. I wonder if it is a way to controls the reach of some of us, or simply an organization mechanism. I sure the latter seems much more practical.

 Hermida, A. (2012). TWEETS AND TRUTH: Journalism as a discipline of collaborative verification. Journalism Practice. 6:5-6, p659-668

Bruns, A. & T. Highfield. (2012). Blogs, Twitter, and breaking news: The produsage of citizen journalism. pre-publication draft on personal site [Snurb.info]. Published in: Lind, R. A. ed. (2012). Produsing Theory in a Digital World: The Intersection of Audiences and Production. New York: Peter Lang. p15-32.

 Jenkins, H. & D. Thorburn. Introduction: The Digital Revolution, the Informed Citizen, and the Culture of Democracy. in Jenkins, H. & D. Thorburn eds. (2003). Democracy and New Media. Cambridge MA: MIT Press. p1-17. NOTE: this link takes you to the entire book (online). You only need to read the introduction.

courtesy of: http://rwconnect.esomar.org/2011/06/16/we-are-all-citizen-journalists-now/